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I wouldn't immigrate to another continent for Aikido even if I could (actually I suppose technically I could, though I like where I'm training so it's a moot point). It's important to me, and a big thing in my life, but not the only important thing or even the most important thing. By that standard I'm a dilettante, and personally I have no problem at all with that .

I'm not even sure I care or am even all that curious about how 'committed' other people are I'm training with or discussing with, or what it has to do with me or with anything. If I can learn from training with them, or if they have a good point in a conversation, that's really all I care about.

Well in my case,I managed with emotional support, hardly unusual from a partner, now, is it?. Anyway, I know plenty who did "the move" on their own. In any event, we all managed to get by on our own steam, not by freeloading, as you basically stated.

Do you always see things in such a binary fashion? Only with such a view could you claim that I "basically stated" that you were "freeloading".

And yes, emotional support from a partner is "hardly unusual". I'm still wondering if your partner moved to another continent with you, and what she/he gave up to do so. I have no wish to particularize this to your situation, but you interjected yourself into the discussion with a set of claims that I can't address without particulars. Perhaps your partner gave up a career, educational path, a community with important amenities (for example, good educational facilities, decent access to child-care, etc.) or proximity to friends and family. Or perhaps your partner stayed behind and was deprived of your presence. You may disagree, but I think that those things are substantial -- and such a supportive partner is a substantial and valuable resource that not everyone has.

Quote:

Oisin Bourke wrote:

As for belittling, well, yes, you did.

How? Give specifics.

Quote:

Oisin Bourke wrote:

You didn't address Szcepan directly when making this assertion,

Yes I did. I quoted him and I was speaking to him.

Quote:

Oisin Bourke wrote:

you decided to take a broad sweep at anyone who had made the effort to move long distances to pursue their training.

You are not a mind-reader. If you try to tell me what I "decided", you'll just be wrong.

Quote:

Oisin Bourke wrote:

And when I called you on this, you accuse me of getting in a huff?

I stand corrected. I thought you were getting in a huff; now I see that instead, you're trying to pick a fight.

Good grief. People on both sides: please have mercy on the OP and us hapless readers. Yes, some people pick up and move worlds away in order to pursue something important to them. Other people feel constrained by issues of tens of miles, a matter of hours. ALL are valid reflections of the totality of a person's life. If a person says, these are my constraints, any ideas?...no point in a pissing contest about life choices.

Do you always see things in such a binary fashion? Only with such a view could you claim that I "basically stated" that you were "freeloading".

And yes, emotional support from a partner is "hardly unusual". I'm still wondering if your partner moved to another continent with you, and what she/he gave up to do so. I have no wish to particularize this to your situation, but you interjected yourself into the discussion with a set of claims that I can't address without particulars. Perhaps your partner gave up a career, educational path, a community with important amenities (for example, good educational facilities, decent access to child-care, etc.) or proximity to friends and family. Or perhaps your partner stayed behind and was deprived of your presence. You may disagree, but I think that those things are substantial -- and such a supportive partner is a substantial and valuable resource that not everyone has. ....

I stand corrected. I thought you were getting in a huff; now I see that instead, you're trying to pick a fight.

This is going way off topic. I"ll just quote (again) your inaccurate dismissal of those of us who made the effort to travel long distances to pursue training opportunities:

"Certain people live in the lucky circumstances of great freedom combined with no responsibilities. These people tend to benefit from the efforts of others (parents who let them live at home, a working spouse/partner, a friend who lets them couch-surf indefinitely). "

I've no desire to give out personal information on a public forum. I'll just say that the previous quote didn't apply to me or most of the people I met who had relocated to train in aikido/budo. We worked, supported our families and paid our taxes/bills while pursuing our budo training. That's all you need to know.

BTW, this is the reason why I "interjected" myself into this discussion. If you're going to make inaccurate generalisations, people you are referring to will probably "interject" in order to call you on it.

Your final line is just stirring the pot IMO,so I"ll bow out of this discussion now.

If time and distance were no object, I'd still be training at my home dojo. OK? Or, while we're fantasizing, maybe I'd head to Japan for a few years and train with my Sensei's Shihan. However, I don't have a wife willing to follow me around like a puppy and take crap jobs to support my training, nor am I an heir, nor do I have a job that is easily transportable, nor am I willing to subject myself and my family to poverty while I sacrifice my career for aikido. If that makes me a dilettante, so be it. Can we move on now?

Does anyone have any experience with changing styles, either from hard to soft or vice versa? Or even just comments about moving to a new dojo?

Does anyone have any experience with changing styles, either from hard to soft or vice versa? Or even just comments about moving to a new dojo?

I've changed several times. It has been by my choice (as I would clarify what I wanted to focus in on training), rather than having to based on geography, so mostly there were things in the new dojo that I knew I WANTED. Even so, in each new dojo there have also been unforeseen things that were done differently and that required me to go though a process of adjustment - sometimes including feeling negative or critical - but just as even in the most successful long term marriage no one person can meet every single one of another person's needs, I figured out so too in a dojo. If the good stuff makes it overall worth training, internalize the things you miss from the old dojo so you can accept them as part of YOU without expecting your new dojo to honor or value them.

I have changed styles 3 times (4 different styles), and each time, it has been because I have moved house due to my job.

The first style I did was a bit on the hard side in terms of how technique was applied, but not intense trainging, and lacking in a lot of the finer points I have come to appreciate in aikido over the years, but it did give be a broad exposure to many different techniques including weapon techniques. Anyway, I didn't know anything different at the time.

Then I moved and did honbu style. No weapons, fewer techniques, but unusually for honbu style, it gave me an excellent appreciation of the basics of aikido movement. The training was intense, and my ukemi improved immensely. Often, my body struggled to keep up with the training, and this was a bit dispiriting, and this was exacerbated by being unable to train as often as I would like due to other commitments. I didn't really miss the weapons work etc. and my main frustration was with myself not being able to keep up.

Then I moved to a Nishio-style dojo. The general level of ukemi was poor and the training was nowhere near as intense as I was used to. This frustrated me no end, and I ended up travelling to another dojo on Sundays occasionally to keep up my ukemi and get a workout. The advantage was that I got a refresher in my weapons work, and I got a good education in using atemi and being aware of and accounting for my own openings. Apart from the lack of intensity, I was also frustrated by how complicated everything was. I don't think it sat very well with me.

I'm now at a school that is from the Tohei lineage, but with a teacher who has trained in many different styles. He is a bit of a maverick in this style and tries to incorporate a lot of stuff from Saito sensei, Yamaguchi sensei, and Shirata sensei. He likes to keep what he finds works and throw out what doesn't, and after spending 4 days with William Gleason, we are trying to incorporate a bit of IS training (which clearly works). The only thing that frustrates me about where I am now is the lack of a physical workout, but that isn't an issue because I can just go for a jog if I want. I still get to practice ukemi at a high level, just not constantly enough to get a cardio workout.

In general, the way to cope is not to argue with the sensei too much and try to learn what you can. Unless you are very comfortable with your sensei and know that (s)he will take it the right way, keep your opinions to yourself. (I am lucky enough that I can discuss this sort of thing with my current sensei. He is very open minded.) Even though I don't feel like Nishio aikido is for me, I did learn a lot from it, and I trained with some great people. Just try to focus on the positive, and if you get a chance to go out and play occasionally, try to take it.

I'm from a no-atemi dojo and we have quite a few travelers pop in. One in particular had the same issues you seemed to be having. He was about a sandan, although he hadn't ranked in a while due to the military moving him around a lot. Eventually, our sensei (I'm lucky to have a shihan) took him over and work him to death more or less by letting our visitor reall take a swing or two at him.

We always feel bad for the poor folks who try to throw a real attack at a perceived opening at Sensei.

No-atemi styles, like you mentioned, HAVE to be good a taking balance. At the lower levels though, they do leave openings. If they are like our dojo, they also want to focus on one technique and then later deal with changing things up to deal with sneaky ukes.

You failed to mention what type of teachers you have at this new place. If it's a high rank person, see if you can get them into a high energy free attack. You'll know quickly if they are all fluff or not. If it's a lower ranked person and you don't feel you are getting your time's worth go elsewhere.

Hi Zoe-
Yes, you're right about the dojo-cho. I never felt like I could lay a finger on him; he keeps his face out of the way, and his body angle isn't such that I could nail him with high-energy strikes at any given point. It's just some of the sempai.